The AI Centre of Excellence is the new driving force behind the adoption of AI in Public Administration

A national strategic framework

The AI Centre of Excellence forms part of Action #20 of the Portugal Digital Strategy's 2026–2027 Action Plan, establishing it as a pivotal pillar for the widespread adoption of AI in public administration. The AI CoE's work is also embedded in the National Artificial Intelligence Agenda, which was approved by the Council of Ministers in Resolution No. 2/2026 and published in the Diário da República on 8 January 2026.

The National Artificial Intelligence Agenda is the country's primary strategic instrument for accelerating the adoption and development of AI in Portugal. With an action plan covering 2026 to 2030, ANIA sets out a clear vision to use AI ethically, safely, and responsibly, thereby bringing Portugal closer to the forefront of European competitiveness and productivity. This commitment must translate into tangible benefits for society, such as better public services, a higher quality of life, more efficient administration, and the creation of economic value.

Why is a Centre of Excellence needed?

The reasoning behind the establishment of the AI CoE is clear: the adoption of artificial intelligence in public administration has been hindered by fragmented projects, unsuccessful pilots, limited interoperability between systems, and complex processes.

Many public bodies face similar challenges, such as assessing applications, managing documents, financial planning, providing citizen services, and processing large volumes of information. It is therefore essential to develop reusable solutions in these areas that can be replicated across multiple public administration services and entities.

This is precisely the role of the AI Centre of Excellence: to coordinate efforts, promote the reuse of solutions, ensure interoperability, prevent duplicate investment, and support public entities in the responsible implementation of data and AI technologies.

The AI CoE has three core functions: strategy, delivery and capacity building

The strategic function involves aligning the adoption of AI in public administration with the National Artificial Intelligence Agenda, the Portugal Digital Strategy, and the European framework for data and AI, including the EU Artificial Intelligence Act (AI Act).

The delivery function focuses on developing AI solutions that are viable, can be implemented quickly and can be replicated, while also providing technical support to projects led by public entities. This dimension also covers quality assurance, security, ethics and compliance for the solutions developed.

The capacity-building and ecosystem function involves training public sector employees, creating methodologies, standards and playbooks, establishing knowledge hubs and fostering strategic partnerships with academic institutions, businesses, start-ups and other entities within Portugal's and Europe's innovation ecosystems.

Vision and mission

The AI CoE’s vision is rooted in a clear ambition: to strengthen the digital transformation of public administration by promoting the responsible, ethical, safe and transparent use of artificial intelligence for the benefit of the public. This vision is realised through four key objectives:

• Fostering a data and AI ecosystem capable of developing, testing and scaling cross-cutting solutions.
• Democratise access to data and emerging technologies across public administration.
• Drive innovation in the public sector.
• Establish Portugal as a European benchmark for trustworthy AI adoption.

Five areas of action

To deliver on this mission, the AI CoE organises its work around the following five areas:

1. Serving as the national coordination hub for AI in public administration, it ensures that priorities are aligned, knowledge is shared, and solutions are reused.
2. The AI CoE acts as the orchestrator of the national AI adoption strategy, bringing sectoral bodies together and promoting cross-cutting projects aligned with the ANIA Action Plan.
3. It acts as a technical and regulatory reference point, defining standards, methodologies and best practices, while ensuring compliance with the AI Act and the national and European legal frameworks.
4. It supports public entities in identifying, designing and implementing data and AI projects, thereby enabling capacity-building and practical adoption.
5. It promotes trusted innovation, ensuring that the adoption of AI respects fundamental principles such as ethics, security, human oversight, non-discrimination, transparency and data protection.

Governance and institutional coordination

The AI CoE’s governance model was designed to establish an effective link between national strategic direction and technical and operational delivery.

The Centre works in coordination with the Ministry of State Reform and operates under the direct oversight of the Agency for Technological Reform of the State (ARTE). ARTE is led by the State Chief Technology Officer and President of ARTE, Manuel Dias. Vanda França holds operational leadership of the Centre.

The Centre's work is also linked to the State Simplification and Technologies Network, as well as to the Sectoral AI Centres envisaged in ANIA. These centres will focus on developing products through consortia involving academia, companies, and public administration. They will start with health, building on the work of the Centre for Responsible AI, and then move on to industry and robotics.

Capabilities and expected impact

The expected impact is significant: simpler, more efficient, citizen-centred public services; more informed, transparent public decisions; greater capacity for technological reuse; and stronger digital sovereignty.

The AI Centre of Excellence is a decisive step towards turning national ambition into concrete results. By combining strategic coordination, technical capability, the development of reusable solutions, and capacity building among public entities, the AI CoE is the primary means of promoting the responsible adoption of artificial intelligence in public administration.

Learn more at: https://ia.gov.pt/